# Rabbits are useful **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 18, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rabbits-are-useful/539880 "2010-05-18T14:03:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rabbits-are-useful/539880/1 "2010-05-18T14:03:49Z")
There’s something unsettling about a company that sells rabbit meat as a food product, and also sells rabbits (and rabbit parts) for biological research: > **[Home](https://www.pel-freez.com/)** > > Pel-Freez is committed to producing high-quality human and animal biologicals for all of your biological research and diagnostic manufacturing needs. I’ve known about the food product for years (though never felt like trying it), and I knew rabbits were used in biology labs, but something irks me about putting the two together under one roof… ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rabbits-are-useful/539880/2 "2010-05-18T14:15:03Z")
Couldn’t see a word about them selling rabbit parts for food. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rabbits-are-useful/539880/3 "2010-05-18T14:30:41Z")
> [@Floater](#): > > Couldn’t see a word about them selling rabbit parts for food. :smack: Sorry, accidentally posted a sublink. Here’s the main one: > **[Home](https://www.pel-freez.com/)** > > Pel-Freez is committed to producing high-quality human and animal biologicals for all of your biological research and diagnostic manufacturing needs. Presto, dinner and laboratory-grade animal tissue on the same page. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rabbits-are-useful/539880/4 "2010-05-18T14:47:26Z")
I have no problems with it. They started out raising rabbits for human consumption and then branched off into biomedicine having the knowledge how to handle the critters and it’s not like they use the same animals for both purposes. Lab animals are meticulously bred for special purposes and there is no way one of those would end up on somebody’s plate. They are far too expensive for that. Apart from that, rabbit tastes good. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rabbits-are-useful/539880/5 "2010-05-18T14:51:40Z")
> [@Floater](#): > > Apart from that, rabbit tastes good. Matter of opinion I guess. I always thought it tasted like low grade chicken. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rabbits-are-useful/539880/6 "2010-05-18T14:57:12Z")
> [@Floater](#): > > Apart from that, rabbit tastes good. Some people would say the same about human flesh if it was cooked and seasoned right. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rabbits-are-useful/539880/7 "2010-05-18T17:57:08Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > Some people would say the same about human flesh if it was cooked and seasoned right. And this is a problem? ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rabbits-are-useful/539880/8 "2010-05-18T17:57:09Z")
I really don’t see anything particularly disturbing. In both cases, the rabbits are grown for non-pet purposes, and as long as they’re treated decently, what’s the problem? I’m sure that [Latte, Hazel, and Cinnamon](http://www.birdchick.com/adventures/rabbit/index.html) disapprove, though. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rabbits-are-useful/539880/9 "2010-05-18T17:59:49Z")
> [@GaryM](#): > > And this is a problem? Of course it is. It means we are slaves to our tastes. ps. If you are that keen on meat, eat it how it was meant to be… raw. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rabbits-are-useful/539880/10 "2010-05-20T08:32:31Z")
Wabbit season. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rabbits-are-useful/539880/11 "2010-05-20T11:28:38Z")
Rabbit is delicious if cooked correctly. It can be a very dry meat, though, so it’s well served as a stew. ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rabbits-are-useful/539880/12 "2010-05-20T12:17:03Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > Of course it is. It means we are slaves to our tastes. > > ps. If you are that keen on meat, eat it how it was meant to be… raw. I can’t say I’ve had raw rabbit, but I have eaten raw beef. I do like cooked rabbit though. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rabbits-are-useful/539880/13 "2010-05-20T12:34:43Z")
Will we need to set the table with X-Acto knives? ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rabbits-are-useful/539880/14 "2010-05-20T13:33:21Z")
Big tip. Don’t serve it at Easter because the kids get very very upset. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rabbits-are-useful/539880/15 "2010-05-20T13:41:58Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Rabbit is delicious if cooked correctly. It can be a very dry meat, though, so it’s well served as a stew. True dat. > [@Autolycus](#): > > Wabbit season. Duck Season! ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rabbits-are-useful/539880/16 "2010-05-20T20:11:10Z")
[This site](http://www.mybunnyfarm.com/breeds/hotot/) does talk about the same rabbits as food or furry friends. Or possibly both - keep it as a pet for a while, then kill it yourself, which is what people sometimes used to do. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rabbits-are-useful/539880/17 "2010-05-20T20:16:41Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > Big tip. Don’t serve it at Easter because the kids get very very upset. > [@scifisam2009](#): > > [This site](http://www.mybunnyfarm.com/breeds/hotot/) does talk about the same rabbits as food or furry friends. Or possibly both - keep it as a pet for a while, then kill it yourself, which is what people sometimes used to do. My father had a pet chicken for a while when he was a kid. One day he came home to find no chicken in the yard…and the family was having chicken for dinner. Grandma Bodoni was not at all sentimental when she had 8 mouths to feed. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2010, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rabbits-are-useful/539880/18 "2010-05-21T12:39:54Z")
My cousin bought a calf for their farm that was half pet, half “to be processed when it comes of age.” To prepare his young kids for that, they named it “Hamburger.” Curious if the 4 year old had grasped the reality of the situation, I asked him once what his calf’s name was. He got this devilish look on his face, rubbed his belly robustly and said “His name is Haaaamburrrrger!” ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2010, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rabbits-are-useful/539880/19 "2010-05-21T16:54:50Z")
My dad had “pet” rabbits when he was a little kid. He says he was so little, he didn’t notice how many there were … or how many _more_ there were … and then, which ones were missing. And that he was too young to put two and two together when he got new rabbit-fur slippers, or they had rabbit stew for dinner … ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rabbits-are-useful/539880/20 "2010-05-21T17:26:26Z")
At many county or state fairs, there will be a booth with someone selling rabbits, and if you ask for one, that person will respond “Pets or meat?” and serve you accordingly.